Working Mummies Support Group #3

**~TT40~** · August 7th, 2015, 11:26 AM

Depends if you are paid for lunch...and if tou get ados or nit.
Full time nursing is contracted 38hrs a week, but we work 40 hours, unpaid lunch. And then get an extra day off a roster to make up and average out the month

**trishalishous** · August 7th, 2015, 10:57 PM

good luck for monday, Foss.

at my jobs, lunchbreak is paid,but you are still working while you eat,

**~TT40~** · August 8th, 2015, 09:04 AM

We still work when we eat...im 'on call' for my breaks and not allowed to leave the site....but still dont get paid for it =(

**peanutter** · August 8th, 2015, 12:14 PM

Not at my work - it's a 38 hour week (HA HA HA HA HA) but that is notionally 8.24am - 5pm or 8.54am - 5.30pm MINUS 1-2pm for lunch.

**leckert** · August 10th, 2015, 10:44 PM

Got some good news today (for me at least) contract extended until end of the term as teacher is now taking long service leave for the remainder of the term. Gives me & students continuity & I get to work them back in line re doing work in class and not expecting laptop access every lesson (limited laptops for 9 classes at the same time - yr12s & 11s get priority access).

Now just to figure out how I teach full time (including the marking), study externally one subject, and have some semblance of a family time & life....

**wysiwyg** · August 12th, 2015, 08:31 PM

Got some good news today (for me at least) contract extended until end of the term as teacher is now taking long service leave for the remainder of the term. Gives me & students continuity & I get to work them back in line re doing work in class and not expecting laptop access every lesson (limited laptops for 9 classes at the same time - yr12s & 11s get priority access).

Now just to figure out how I teach full time (including the marking), study externally one subject, and have some semblance of a family time & life....

Great news Leckert.

New job going ok, sounds like there will be the usual challenges, but is ramping up now so that is great.

Got tax and CCR back last week - which is really good timing as will tide us over while move onto the monthly pay cycle.

**Teeki** · August 12th, 2015, 10:20 PM

Oops, I've been away from here for ages again, sorry ladies.

Congrats to everyone on new jobs! Sounds like things are going quite well in here.

Foss, how did Monday go for you? How are you handling the long hours?

As for work hours and lunch, where I am we're almost all casual. So we're only paid for actual hours worked and breaks are not paid. There are a couple of guys on a salary and it works the same as my old job. Yearly salary, so you have a guaranteed pay each week. If you get everything done and have no work left you might only work 30 hours, but you get paid for 38. On the other hand (happened every week at my old job) if you still have work to do you're expected to put in whatever hours are required to complete it by deadline. You can have breaks and they're paid but then that just means you go home later.

I'm still working casual admin, 9-3 Wed & Thurs. Works out great because next year DD will be in kindy Thursday, Friday, and every second Wednesday 8:45-3:30. So I'll just switch my Wednesday to Friday. I've also started my own small business looking after pets and homes while people are away, or if they're just too busy. Slow going at the moment but I really hope for it to bring in enough income to pay down some debt quicker.

The owners/managers are on holidays for two weeks so I'm at the office alone, I'm looking forward to having a little buddy tomorrow. DD isn't well enouh for daycare so she's packed a bag of paints and toys and books and she'll be coming with me

**Foss** · August 13th, 2015, 07:30 PM

I finished the project this morning teeki. It was full on but fun. I have another less intensive project starting tomorrow. I somehow managed to let myself get talked into it. I was fully intending to take a few weeks, regroup and get my head around working with the two more efficiently. How did you go with DD in the office?

**wysiwyg** · September 2nd, 2015, 09:17 PM

How is everyone? Job here going ok - just ok the job bit, but the walking to work is still superb. We are moving house, just up the road, renting out this place and renting elsewhere, although our crazy neighbours have departed they scarred us I think about apartment living and the four of us in this little flat was just getting too much. Found somewhere way quicker than expected, and now moving a week on Friday - is still a 2 bed but has an extra living space and outdoor space (with a gate directly onto a park!). So will be a mad few weeks I think.

School still driving me batty - last week told us kids singing at assembly so had arranged to go into work late, then yesterday get a note saying Foundation will now be at the EXPO this evening but giving no details about time, and they had not previously told us we had to go or anything. This morning before school they reiterated would be tonight, but then at assembly (because someone sms'd me) they announced they were going to do it at grandparents morning tea! DD was upset again because I had promised would see her sing (because was at assembly) and then wasn't there, just like I promised I would do parent participation when at this new job and I organised to do it and then they cancelled it for the rest of term! Of course her teachers are always right and I am the big bad mum who can't do anything because am at work.

**leckert** · September 2nd, 2015, 10:56 PM

I've been surviving, just! I somehow lost a week. I'm studying as well as teaching fulltime and been sick so that hasn't helped. I thought I had another week on a uni assignment but then got to last Wednesday and realised it was due this Monday just gone. I got a little bit read for it but ended up taking Monday off school to do uni work (and not talk as I have a bit of a cough that's been playing up with teaching). Got it in in time but it's not what I'm used to putting in. I'll be happy if it passes (it's more of my undergrad level of work not my Masters level). It's crazy report writing and marking week here (2 weeks earlier than I'm used to so another crazy bit there). I've gone off at one Yr10 English class today because I could see that only 3 people attempted something on Monday's lesson when I was away (only one student actually handed up anything to mark from a comprehension test

- NOT happy Jan). Nearly caught up on the marking - 2 classes to go by Friday with report writing due then as well.

busy couple of days& nights coming up. Although I'm calling it quits tonight - brain has fried for the evening (and it's bedtime shortly for me).

**Foss** · September 3rd, 2015, 07:10 PM

I've just started another contract which will be a little less intense than the first big one and I'm enjoying it. It is great to be able to do the majority of it from home when the kids are asleep.

Good luck with the move wysiwyg. My sister is a teacher and she has heaps of bad parents to deal with so I get that she is somewhat defensive when parents critise but I do remind her that it is hard for a working mum to schedule everything in the first place so politely apologise (and mean it) if she changes things at the last minute and parents get exasperated. Maybe now that she is a mum, she might understand a bit more.

Fingers crossed for a good result on the assignment leckert

**wysiwyg** · October 22nd, 2015, 09:50 AM

How is everyone? We have moved and it is great but haven't managed to let our old place yet, seems the demand is pretty low at the moment. We hadn't anticipated that as is perfect rental, and most of the time units in our block have had people queuing up. Job is OK, (still just OK :-)), the school I really dislike, but DD enjoys, life just hurtling along really. DS is desperate to go to school and bores DD's teachers every morning, I just hope he is so keen by time Jan 2017 goes around. It doesn't help he is a tall kid and very outgoing so people just assume he is going next year and keep asking him.

Mum and Dad back in a few weeks which will be great as means I can cut out some OHSC and one day of daycare till end of year.

**nyigi** · December 15th, 2015, 10:19 PM

Hi, it's so very very quiet in here. How are you all going?
I hope you've managed to let your old place by now wysiwyg.
I've got an interview coming up in a couple of days for a job I'd really like. Would also just quite like to know what the answer is if we'll be packing up and moving and me returning to work or if we'll be staying put for a while longer.

**wysiwyg** · December 16th, 2015, 06:31 PM

Yes the whole of BellyBelly is so dead these days, is a shame I liked this thread especially.

Hope the interview goes well nyigi

Yes we finally got tenants and that is all fine. Work is OK (but really not keen on my boss) - DD's school still drives me insane - all her OHSC staff are leaving the end of this year found out today which was a shock as they are really great.

I got offered another position back with a previous company, but I had to turn it down, wouldn't be such a good commute (nothing ever will) and more hours and pressure and contract rather than permanent but I would have enjoyed it more - I would have jumped at it pre-kids but now I just couldn't do it - I resent that a little bit. Years ago I could never understand why people stayed in jobs they didn't like just for the location and hours - but now I kind of get it, just am not at peace with it yet.

**leckert** · December 18th, 2015, 07:51 AM

super quiet in here now - I struggle to get on computer for non-school related things (finished my uni stuff) and the BB app & other forum app thing (can't remember the name of it) haven't been friendly to me for a while so I don't check it often.
I've gotten another contract for next year - teaching Yr 10-12 class at an Aboriginal school in the Adelaide region where I taught this last term. I'm looking forward to it as I know the kids and they're mostly okay

And it's a whole year contract which means late Jan 16 to late Jan 17 pay (very nice feeling). Just need to get through this Dec-Jan for now with minimal pay (DH subcontract work) & Centrelink payments.

**nyigi** · December 18th, 2015, 04:40 PM

Hi leckert, great to hear you've got a whole year contract next year and one you're looking forward to. Good luck getting through the next couple of months of minimal money. My husband does contracting work and while he's been doing enough work for us to get by on lately people are very late in paying him so we'll also be having a tight couple of months. Looking forward to when the money does come in though, it's kind of enforced saving

.
Interview done. No idea how it went though not really expecting anything too much from it. We'll see in a few weeks.

**nyigi** · December 21st, 2015, 05:41 PM

Oh wow just heard back from them and they are offering me the job. I've got a meeting tomorrow to discuss start date etc

Thanks for the well wishes wysiwyg!

.
And I really understand re the difficulties of deciding between job and location. It's hard. I've also turned down a couple of options due to location. This time I'm very lucky as the job is pretty ideal and the general location is pretty good for us. We'll be moving back to Australia so the boys will be able to see their family a little more (though all still in other states). Next step I guess is working out whereabouts exactly we're going to live in Melbourne. Good luck reaching a balance you can be at peace with!

**wysiwyg** · December 21st, 2015, 05:49 PM

Congratulations nyigi! That is great. (I am in Melbourne but don't know it that well apart from area live, and sometimes I wish we had researched more because we settled here without really thinking of the implications, and now would find hard to leave the area, but I suspect if we had ended up in a different area would have loved that too)

Good to hear you have something sorted Leckert, teaching is such an important job it still amazes me how complicated we seem to make it for teachers.

Kids have been away since Friday, I was sick most of weekend which was a pain and was so hot too. I was hoping to build up some time in lieu while they away so have some holidays for round Australia day but not much on at work so haven't managed that yet. Is weird in a good way getting up and going to work without having them around.